Trump And Macron Meet With Zelenskyy In Paris Ahead Of Notre Dame Reopening

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said he and French President Emmanuel Macron would be talking about the world "going a little crazy right now."

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Donald Trump to Paris on Saturday with a full a dose of presidential pomp and they held an impromptu meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymr Zelenskyy on a day that mixed pageantry with attention to pressing global problems.

Trump, the once and future American president, said when he arrived at the Elysee Palace for a face-to-face meeting with Macron — soon expanded to include Zelenskyy — that the two would be discussing a world that’s gone “a little crazy.”

Trump’s visit to France, part of a global a celebration of the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral five years after a devastating fire, came as Macron and other European leaders are trying to win Trump’s favor and persuade him to maintain support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion. Macron’s office said that would be discussed as well as the wars in the Middle East.

As Trump arrived at the official residence of the French president, Macron went out of his way to project an image of close ties, posing for multiple handshakes interspersed with plenty of back-patting. Trump said it was “a great honor” and talked about the “great relationship” they have had. A grand red carpet was rolled in the same way the French welcome sitting American presidents.

Before they went inside, Trump said, “It certainly seems like the world is, going a little crazy right now. And we’ll be talking about that.”